I believe the Supreme court decision of Roe v. Wade was correct and abortion should be a woman's choice. The ability to have abortion as a choice protects women who experience sexual violence or are raped. Also, many times a pregnancy can affect a women's health and if she does not receive a medical abortion, she faces the possibility of death.

I disagree. Aborting a child is by definition murder. Murder is illegal therefore abortion should be illegal. Those who make mistakes should be forced to live with them, and should not have the choice of taking another's life. Furthermore,in response to your argument about sexual violence, most women who receive abortions are not victims of rape. In response to your argument that it protects women, abortion can be very unsafe and people who have them can experience negative psychological effects.

First of all, thank you for taking the time to debate with me. I do not agree that abortion is murder. A fetus isn't really a human being and therefore it cannot be murder. Nearly all abortions take place in the first trimester, when a fetus cannot exist independent of the mother. As it is attached by the placenta and umbilical cord, its health is dependent on her health, and cannot be regarded as a separate entity and is therefore not a human being. Also, Abortion is a safe medical procedure. If abortions were illegal it would only allow for more unsafe procedures to take place. Since abortion is currently legal, there are doctors who can give safe abortions. The vast majority of women have their abortions in the first trimester (88%). Also, women are going to have abortions whether or not they are legal, so at least because they are legal, women are able to get safe abortions with sterilized tools.

It is also important to note that the ability of a women to have control of her body is critical to civil rights. If you take away the choice of reproductive rights for women, then what else can the government force women to do. Can the government force you to undergo sterilization or use contraception?

Interesting question. Just because people are going to commit a crime doesn't mean we should make it legal. Also, the fear of the government extending its power beyond making abortion illegal doesn't justify its legality. Furthermore, many of the women who get abortions are young and don't fully understand the consequences of their actions. Adoption is a viable alternative to abortion and accomplishes the same result. There are 1.5 million American families anting to adopt a child, and there is no such thing as an unwanted child.

Adoption is not an alternative to abortion, because it should remain a women's choice of whether or not to give up her child for adoption. Very few women who give birth choose to give up their babies and therefore the children DO become unwanted children. Also, there are negative psychological effects for young girls who give up children for adoptions and then realize later in life that they have children that they have not had a relationship with. It is a myth that the women who have abortions do so for selfish reasons. Rarely the decision to have an abortion is simple, but sometimes it is the only option. Often times women have a lack of money or do not want to bring a child into an unloving , unready family. Others wanted to get pregnant but learn that the babies have serious medical problems and therefore choice abortions. And still others (about 13,000 women each year) have abortions because they have become pregnant as a result of rape. Instead of encouraging making abortion illegal, we should teach young kids how to better use contraceptives to protect them from the beginning of experiencing sexual encounters.

Also, teenagers who become mothers often do not have a promising future ahead. They are more likely to leave school, receive inadequate prenantal are, rely on public assistance to raise a child, develop health care problems or end up divorced. All these factors can lead to a negative home environment should the abortion to have never taken place.

While I appreciate your opinions, I still stand by mine that it is important that we, as women, have the right to choose whether or not we will have an abortion. While I believe abortion should be the last alternative, it can be a valuable alternative when considering fetuses that have serious medical problems or when the mother is a victim of sexual violence. Thanks for the debate.

While the situations of many unplanned pregnancies might be unfavorable, I still cannot support the legality of abortion. Our country was founded on a set of morals, and it is that set of morals that makes it wrong to take the life of another. While it can be argued that a fetus is not yet a human, it is a life, and if it isn't aborted, it will be come a human. We cannot predict the future, and we therefore cannot predict what kind of life a fetus will have. Thanks for your opinions.

Reasons for voting decision: i think that in order to have an abortion you should be brought in front of a court and jury and give sufficient reasons as to why you should be allowed to have an abortion

Reasons for voting decision: Depending on the situation abortion is the right choice. Taking away that choice, would only lead to problems. Also, it would lead to abortions being done illegally and unsafely.
Pro gets my vote hands down.